Living near a power line can increase your risk of Alzheimer's and senile dementia, a major new study has confirmed this week.
People who live within 54 yards, or 50 m, of a power line more than double their risk of a neuro-degenerative disease such as Alzheimer’s compared with people who live at least 600 m from a line.
The time you live near a power line also determines the risk level. Living within close proximity of a line for 15 years or longer doubles your risk compared with someone who has lived close to a power line for less than five years.
These findings are based on a study of 4.7 m people living in Switzerland.
(Source: American Journal of Epidemiology, 2008; doi: 10.1093/aje/kwn297).